How different is shadow/assassin tanking?

That's why it is impossible to say which is harder, it is not however, impossible to simply list the the factual differences between classes and their gameplay. And yes simplification was kind of the point.

I do like the duel idea though.

I'm not questioning that the point was simplification, but I don't believe showing difference in the classes is the same as showing the difficulty of the class to which this conversation was about. Which is more difficult to play is far more subjective between people. As I have also said the "truth" that Vaid is saying may only apply to him. There isn't anyway to verify especially when the vast majority say Sins are the most difficult tank.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chazcon

This post made me laugh. Thanks for the entertainment.

Don't laugh unless you can prove him wrong. I don't agree with him, but I don't have the means to say it's not true.

I'll also say this: a bad Sin tank will be melted far, far more quickly than a bad Jugg or PT. It's not uncommon for me to run across Sins in HM FPs who don't start from stealth, open with taunt, don't keep their stacks up, etc, etc. The average player voices far fewer complaints about Jugg tanks than Sin tanks on the forums as well. They definitely require more attention to detail and it is easier to spot a bad Sin tank than a bad Jugg.

I am running a shadow tank since the game came out and rolled a guardian tank as well when things were pretty grim for Shadows in 16M NiM runs. I also have a vanguard tank which I fully retired when shadow changes went live. How different is shadow tanking?

1. None of the other tanks need to manage so many things at once. This is key in successfully playing a shadow tank. You got quite a few things to track and if you do it optimally you will get rewarded. If you fail at it, you will get your healers annoyed.

2. Shadow tanking, for me, feels faster than Vanguard and Guardian tanking. While I understand leap / storm , with an active target, can be superior, I still prefer force speed. I like how it allows me to get in range of multiple targets and generate threat while still being under the force speed effect. This goes back to my pvp days i guess .

3. Shadow tank cooldows are a bit different than Guardian cooldowns for example. If you main a shadow you really need to be smart and know your bosses. You have one of the best cooldowns in the game, battle readiness, and if you use it prematurely due to a raid mistake, you need to wait a long time for it to come back. Guardians are superior here in terms of access to cooldowns because at any important moment, one will be available and this is Saber Reflect. Thrasher NiM, Guardians are very relaxed because Reflect is up all the time for Snipers, Shadows need to rotate cooldowns and sometimes even use one which is not very efficient.

4. Shadow tanks are high maintenance. While often superior, in current content, than the other tanks, they need to be paired with certain healer classes to increase the chance of success when the dodo hits the fan. We run Scoundrel-Sage and whenever we divide the team, Brontes, Calphayus, etc, I group the Sage with the Vanguard / Guardian while the Scoundrel comes with me. I am not saying two sages is not doable, I am just trying to cover the eventuality that someone will make a mistake and while recovering you need to have the best tools. Bear in mind that I do not support class segregation because in my opinion all classes should have the same equal chance of success when clearing content. I noticed that an inexperienced sage will panic and burn his resources when things start to go south, if he has to main heal my Shadow tank.

5. An optimal APM on a shadow tank can provide a very nice comfort window in terms of aggro. My highest APM was 40.2 and I was literally miles ahead of my damage dealers while. This has a beneficial effect on your raid group as it will trigger the 'i gotta pull aggro so I am doing more damage here than I ever did' effect which in turn will increase the chances of a kill, especially in progression.

Bottom line, for me at least, Shadow tanking feels much faster and more natural than Guardian / Vanguard. I cleared content with all tanks, all the current content, and I am not here to bash other classes. I love my Guardian because of the cooldown suite available. I love my vanguard even more because every time I play it after my shadow I facepalm how consistent the hits are and how small the chunks are when I lose HP.

...but I don't believe showing difference in the classes is the same as showing the difficulty of the class to which this conversation was about

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrostTrooper

Basically, I'm wondering how differently a shadow/assassin plays? Are they difficult? Challenge?

Emphasis added. While the last two questions are clearly subjective, the first asks how different is the playstyle of a Shadow to other tanks. That is entirely possible to highlight using objective criteria.

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The statements and opinions expressed on these websites are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, nor are they endorsed by Bioware, LucasArts, and its licensors do not guarantee the accuracy of, and are in no way responsible for any content on these websites.